Aboriginal communities across Canada are implementing Aboriginal language programs in their schools. In the present research, we explore the impact of learning through an Aboriginal language on students' English and Aboriginal language skills by contrasting a Mi'kmaq language immersion program with a Mi'kmaq as a second language program. The…

Reviews educational research on bilingual education and describes biases present in recent evaluations of bilingual programs. Contrary to assumptions about bilingual programs, recent findings suggest that native-language programs may be very effective. They support a strong foundation in the native language and set the basis for subsequent…

A Massachusetts two-way bilingual education program provides initial first-language (L1) literacy development for all students, teaches half of the curriculum in L1 and half in L2 by third grade, and selectively integrates native and non-native speakers of the target language. Both target groups meet academic and linguistic goals by fifth grade.…

Discusses the limitations of immersion programs for minority-language children and examines submersion, transitional bilingual education, and reverse immersion approaches according to three criteria: theoretical consistency, fairness to children, and empirical support. Reverse immersion in which children acquire literacy skills in their native…

Critiques the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education (TBE), focusing on the TBE program in Boston, Massachusetts. Also discusses alternatives to TBE, such as English as a Second Language pull-out programs and English immersion programs. (Contains 114 references.) (MDM)

The report presents results of a study of elementary and secondary school two-way bilingual immersion programs that focused on the program and contextual factors affecting student learning, student and teacher language use in the classroom, and teaching strategies used to promote target language use and increase language proficiency. The study…

A study addressed educational and psychological issues raised by the phenomenal growth of Irish-medium pre-schools ("naionrai"). Data were gathered in surveys of almost 2,000 parents, over 170 teachers and advisors, and 225 children in 25 Irish-medium pre-schools in both "Gaeltacht" (Irish-speaking districts) and…

The Exemplary Capacity Building Program of Transitional Bilingual Education was a federally funded program serving 266 limited-English-speaking, Spanish-speaking students in two Manhattan (New York) elementary schools. Participating students received instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and content areas.…

The roles of first and second languages were studied, using ethnographic methods, in a middle school two-way bilingual education program that served Mexican-background students. The primary stated program goal was to develop bilingualism and biliteracy in both minority and majority language students. Classes were taught using English and Spanish…

The position taken in this paper is that the basic debate concerning the effectiveness of bilingual education has been totally "socially naive." A study investigated the concept that the ethnolinguistic vitality of a community determines the quality and quantity of linguistic contacts with one's own linguistic group and with other…

The partial immersion program at Key Elementary School (Arlington, Virginia), where half the instruction is in English and half in Spanish, has completed its sixth year. The program review, including classroom observation, interviews with or surveys of students, teachers, parents, and staff, and student assessment, revealed a highly successful…